The Big Short [2015] ★★★

Want to see how a bunch of guys predicted that the economic bubble was about to burst before it even happened? Step up for “The Big Short”, a thrillingly intense look at what went down before the financial world collapsed in 2008. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt play these men, a bunch of “outsiders” who were clever enough to bet against the American economy and made tons of money as the economic world around them was crumbling down. A complicated subject? Perhaps. And damned if I know what they’re talking about at times. Know what? Don’t care. “The Big Short” has enough twists and turns to keep you pinned to your seat for 125 minutes. Every actor is first rate. Carell is at the top of his game (wouldn’t expect anything less from him following last year’s “Foxcatcher”). And Gosling is amazingly witty. “Tell me the difference between stupid and illegal and I’ll have my wife’s brother arrested” he says. “The Big Short” is an explosive drama that speaks honestly and scarily to the times we live in. Kudos to director Adam McKay and to everyone involved in this long, but highly rewarding film.